On the bill for last night’s show at my local dive was Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders. After I’d finished SXSW rehearsals with KAV for the night I figured I would stop by and check him out as there is rumor we might be sharing a bill outside of LA in the near future (awaiting confirmation). Nearing midnight I was relieved that he hadn’t yet played when I got to my local dive, AKA The World Famous Viper Room on the Sunset Strip. During the day I saw a post on The Viper Room’s Facebook…
I think it would be a drastic conflict of interest to slurp on a friends band and make an out and out recommendation for you to be into them, so I won’t do that. I’d like to preserve the little bit of integrity I have left so I will instead tell you with absolute honesty that of all of the regular bands that I see on the strip (and I see A LOT of bands on the strip), one of very few that I actually enjoy seeing at least once a month is Lady Sinatra. Their own brand of Rock & Roll is as hard, fast and loud as it is difficult to pin down directly. I sometimes swear that I hear a bit of Motörhead in the backbeat mixed with a bit of that indefinable Sunset Strip sound. The musicianship is tight and the swagger is loose. If you’ve got a girl that likes to strip then put on “Girl, You’ll Be A Trainwreck Soon” off of their 2nd album Hisses & Kisses and let her do her thing. The band (@LadySinatra) was at one point giving away a free download of the record in exchange for a Tweet, but that offer may have expired. It’s still available through iTunes.
Lead singer and head of Loose Fang Records, Bunny Holliday recently sat down with evergrowing institution The Real Sunset Strip w/Scheff and The Hawk for the short interview/artist profile above (shot by photographer Andrew Herrold) which should give you a taste of their sound.
But to catch them in action they’ll be playing Monday February 15th at Crazy Girls Gentleman’s Club (Sunset & LaBrea) in West Hollywood with Sink To See and brilliant newcomers Jacuzzis (fb event). Full Disclosure: I’m playing that show, too. But if you haven’t seen Lady Sinatra in on their home turf at The Viper Room then you just haven’t seen them in their destructively natural habitat. Read the rest of this entry »
Hey! I’m back in my homestate somewhere in middle America and I’ve been hanging out with a lot of people who really want to come visit me on the coast but with money tight don’t really have that luxury. Behold a solution (of sorts)! Lauren Scheffand The Hawk host a show via UStream calledThe Real Sunset Strip LIVE from The Roxy Theatre. It’s a great chance to see what goes on during a typical Saturday night in the musical heart of West Hollywood that spawned bands like The Doors, Van Halen, Motley Crue and Guns N Roses.
Speaking of which, former GNR/Velvet Revolver/The Cult drummer Matt Sorum, a regular fixture of the strip, even stopped by a few weeks ago to chat with the guys about the glory days of The Strip (video below). Other recent guests have been Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray), Harry Perry, B-Real from Cypress Hill and Tattooed Millionaire to name very few. Other regular guests and skits from Scheff & The Hawk include bartenders, managers, drunks and misfits from various other Sunset Strip institutions like The Viper Room and The Comedy Store. You’ll probably see me pop-up there every now and then.
Check out the show! Join the Ustream chat sometime and make Twitter and Facebook friends with The Real Sunset Strip!
Old Canes is the work of Lawrence, KS native Chris Crisci (of The Appleseed Cast). The band has an eclectic indie-folk sound with lush instrumentation reminicent of Band of Horses or Sea Wolf. His most recent album Feral Harmonic was released on 10/20 through Omaha’s Saddle Creek Records. A limited edition set of HANDMADE CD & LP packaging is available. You can download an MP3 of “Trust” from Feral Harmonic here.
I highly recommend getting to the show by 9pm to see LA up-and-comers Sol Giant & I Will Never Be The Same. Drink specials kick in just as Old Canes takes the stage…the perfect Sunday!
I can tell you about the band 100 Monkeys but chances are you won’t read anything I’m saying because you’re probably too busy screaming. Why? Because 100 Monkeys features Jackson Rathbone, better known as dreamboat Jasper Cullen from the Twilight Saga. And that’s fine.
Recently signed to Perez Hilton’s label and even more recently signed to a huge deal with Interscope, New York glam punks SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS are a quartet of handsome gents burning high energy Rock N’ Roll that will sting your ears and tease your nethers. It’s danceably infectious AC/DC-meets-Rocky Horror swagger has been lighting up clubs for the past 3 years with fabulously filthy/gorgeous frontman Justin Tranter tearing up stages and after parties like a platinum-blond transvestite GODZILLA!
“I GOT A DIAMOND IN MY POCKET AND A GUN IN MY PURSE SCREAM SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS OR YOU MIGHT GET HURT!”
Rounding out the group is the unstoppable trio of Dynamite Drummer Dan Crean, Wig-Afficianato Guitarist Stevy Pyne and Bass Beast Cole Whittle using every inch of every stage at every show. As an exception to the rule, typically you would find an act that rocks this hard and dirty and looks this good to be light on real musical talent but SPW actually met at the prestigious Berklee College of music in Boston.
“STICKY WITH CHAMPAGNE, THAT’S OK IT’S HER BIRTHDAY!”
SPW will be doing 2 shows at The Viper Room in November: Friday the 13th & Wed the 25th. An excellent review of a trio of shows at The Viper Room last July can be found on their blog. A recent interview by Sunset Strip Ambassador and Buzzfinder Brent X. Mendoza with Lead Singer and Daytime Jewlery Designer Justin Tranter (Fetty) can be found @ TheSunsetStrip.com.
“HER HAIR, HER HAIR, HER HAIR IS ON FIRE! SHE DON’T NO WATER LET HER FUCKING HEAD BURN!”
Semi Precious Weapons are currently recording their follow up to 2008’s We Love You with Jack Joseph Puig in Los Angeles and will be opening for Lady Gaga on The Monster Ball Tour (LA Shows @ Nokia Dec 21-23).
It was a very Perry Tuesday at the Viper Room last night as Aerosmith’s six-string slinger took the stage as The Joe Perry Project to mark the release of his new solo record, Have Guitar, Will Travel; his first since 1983*. It was like Guitar Hero:Viper Room as legends of rock began to stream in the Larrabee door for the show. Decked out in bales of hay and cow skulls, the downstairs lounge carried the album’s western theme and became the VIP area where an open bar of “Admiral Perry’s Mojitos**” flowed throughout the night. As guests lined the sidewalks waiting to get into the SOLD OUT show they were treated to the arrivals of rock royals Slash, Perry (Jane’s Addiction) & Etty Farrell, Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue) & Kat Von D, Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, The Nightwatchman) and a slightly creepy Steven Tyler look-alike who gave the fans a quick cheer… and a disappointed “aaaaaawgh”. Read the rest of this entry »
Whoever it was that said ‘Lightning doesn’t strike twice’ obviously doesn’t live on The Sunset Strip.
Lately, The Viper Room has become a hotbed of guitar action! A couple weeks ago, Steve Stevens stopped by to jam with Ginger Wildheart and Billy Morrison on some “Rebel Yell”. A couple nights later Slash joined former Guns ‘N Roses drummer Steven Adler for “It’s So Easy” and “Mama Kin”. (Read About It Here.) And then last Saturday as the dust of the Sunset Strip Music Festival was just beginning to settle, Rock and Roll legend Ace Frehley took the Viper stage by storm with his show of KISS Classics, New Fan Favorites from ANOMALY and his signature model Les Pauls on Fire! And as an added bonus the spaceman even closed his set with 1974’s “Cold Gin” featuring Slash once again as special guest! Really, where else are you going to see a duo THAT HUGE in such an intimate setting. To say that we, as an audience felt privileged would be a gross understatement.
Living in LA provides the advantageous opportunity to see some pretty big stars jump onstage unexpectedly and play a couple songs with their friends. Last night’s show at The Viper Room (AliUptown’s Bday! 8-29-2009) was one of these occasions when not 1 but 2 of the original 5 members of Guns ‘N Roses joined the band Aces ‘N’ Eights to play “It’s So Easy” and “Mama Kin” at the end of their set. Slash appeared amiable but a bit withdrawn onstage. Of course he shredded ass like only he can. Adler seemed elated to be playing again with the guitar god and did a good job on the old songs.
My friend Bunny Holiday (of Lady Sinatra) is the Doorman at The Viper Room here in West Hollywood. I spend entirely too much time there because I don’t have to work and live 440 ft from the best dive on the strip. Since I met him, Bunny has been singing the praises of Singer/Songwriter A.A. Bondy.
A.A. Bondy is the solo acoustic project of Scott Bondy from the 90’s Alabama rock band Verbena. His 2007 debut American Hearts garnered praise from indie publications and festival goers of last year’s SXSW but remains largely under the radar. A.A. Bondy has announced a run of headlining dates around the September 1, 2009 release of his sophomore album, When The Devil’s Loose.
After the masked and suspendored band members had broken through the fabric finish line of their set and screamed their name, the first words out of my mouth were, “Holy Fucking Shit”.
I haven’t been knocked on my ass by a band like that in a long time (Aside from the equally high-waisted Janelle Monae, I’d be embarrassed to tell you whom else). Did I say band? I think that as of right now, that term is no longer relevant. As of tonight I don’t think I ever want to be in another band ever again.
Echo Park’s We Are The World opened the show tonight at The Viper Room and instantly won over the WeHo/Echo hybrid crowd with their blend of throbbing electronic beats, performance art intensity and high energy choreography. Yes, choreography. The hats came straight from Fosse, the bold graphic lycra masks from Grace Jones, the vocals strong and striking like Laurie Anderson or Annie Lennox. Aesthetically, they are like The Locust for theater students. A few in the audience came with an idea of what to expect and the rest of the crowd will probably need a bit of time to absorb what they’ve seen tonight. I’m not sure I know myself, but I want more.
The 4-piece WATW’s Live Setup is largely backing tracks playing through a Mac connected to midi drumpads. The lead singer was masked as she commanded the stage and had piercingly beautiful eyes. The drumming was tight and made creative use of the palette of live sounds available to the band’s sole instrumentalist. The Two backing vocalists/dancers were in constant, voracious motion and altogether it was like watching an engine move in precision.
We Are The World get a 9.5/10. Avant garde and brilliant, this is the line that art shares with music.
Thanks to the Viper Room for the guest access. Add them to your Twitter @ twitter.com/TheViperRoom
